ÏãåúÖ±²¥, WV - ÏãåúÖ±²¥ State College’s longtime head women’s basketball coach is saying goodbye to the Pioneers. GSC President, Dr. Peter Barr, announced today that Lady Pioneers Head Basketball Coach Steve Harold has submitted his resignation as coach and athletic director effective immediately and will wrap up his duties as Assistant Professor by June 30th.
Harold’s resignation comes just a few weeks after the end of the GSC women’s basketball season, which included a trip to the NCAA Division II Elite 8 Tournament in Kearney, Nebraska in late March. The Lady Pioneers completed the most successful season in ÏãåúÖ±²¥ State and WVIAC history by compiling a 33-3 record. The Lady Pioneers claimed the WVIAC regular season and tournament titles, in addition to hosting and capturing the NCAA Division II East Region Championship. With the success of the team, Harold was honored by his peers as the WVIAC Coach of the Year and was awarded the East Region Coach of the Year for the second straight season. Harold also recently claimed the Russell Athletic/WBCA NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year award, becoming the first WVIAC women’s basketball coach to receive the honor.
Harold summed up his reason for resigning as: “Although I have enjoyed my time at ÏãåúÖ±²¥ State, it is time to move on. We have enjoyed tremendous success and won a lot of games, but, in my opinion, I’ve done all that I can at ÏãåúÖ±²¥ State. Short of winning the elusive national championship, I have nothing more to achieve in this program. For that reason, I need to explore the job market for a new challenge - a chance to build another program.â€Â
Harold, a ÏãåúÖ±²¥ native and GSC alum, has coached the Lady Pioneers for the past twelve years compiling a 262-107 record. His teams captured five WVIAC regular season titles, three WVIAC tournament championships, competed in a record eight straight WVIAC tournament finals, and twice qualified for the Elite 8. In addition to his coaching duties, Harold also served two stints as the College’s Athletic Director and was an Assistant Professor in the Physical Education Department.
In accepting Harold’s resignation, GSC President Dr. Peter Barr said: “Steve has had a tremendous success with the team and the College. His coaching efforts at ÏãåúÖ±²¥ State College will be missed, and we wish him well in his future career endeavors. It is a tribute to Coach Harold that he has submitted his resignation in order to allow College officials to have sufficient time to conduct a search for his replacement.â€Â